President Lai opens Taipei International Book Exhibition

2025/02/06

President Lai Ching-te kicked off the 2025 Taipei International Book Exhibition Feb. 4 in Taipei City, highlighting the government’s commitment to promoting Taiwan’s publishing industry, the Ministry of Culture said.
 
During his opening remarks, Lai said knowledge is power and encouraged more people to take part in the event. He invited readers to immerse themselves in the myriad cultures showcased by 504 publishing companies from 29 countries.
 
Following his address, MOC Minister Li Yuan noted that as this year’s guest of honor, Italy is presenting art by young cartoonists and illustrators, as well as children’s literature and illustrated books, while 11 Italian authors are set to attend TIBE seminars. A collaborative creation inspired by Italian writer Italo Calvino’s “If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler” is also on display in the event’s digital pavilion, he added.
 
The minister went on to add that the MOC will launch a raft of measures to support the domestic publishing sector, citing an international book fair for children and young adults, promotions of Taiwan’s graphic novels and the Books From Taiwan project, the latter of which invites global buyers to the country. According to Li, Taiwan has a diverse, free and creative culture, and the exhibition provides an opportunity to engage in cultural exchange with Italy and other countries from around the world.
 
Echoing Li’s remarks, Paola Seghi, international relations manager of the Italian Publishers Association, said that participating in the event is an extraordinary chance since Asia is the second-biggest region the association sells publishing rights to following the European market.
 
The president also took the opportunity to present awards to winners of the Taipei International Book Exhibition Book Prize and the Golden Butterfly Awards for book design during the opening ceremony.
 
Launched in 1987 by the Taipei Book Fair Foundation under the auspices of the MOC, TIBE is the leading event of its kind in Asia and one of the world’s largest such events alongside the Frankfurt Book Fair, Bologna Children’s Book Fair and BookExpo America. More than 550,000 patrons visited the event last year. 


Source:  Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)